Cost Share Program

You can help treat stormwater runoff by installing rain gardens, native vegetation and rain barrels on your property, and we can help through our Stormwater Cost Share Program.

The Cost Share Program is funded through a $15,000 grant from the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program. We provide an additional $7,500. If you are a resident of Lenexa, you can receive 75% reimbursement for eligible expenses associated with the installation of gardens or structures that help reduce stormwater pollution. These funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

What qualifies?

What is the maximum reimbursement?

The maximum reimbursement is $110 for rain barrels and $1,500 for rain gardens, cisterns, permeable pavers or native plantings.

Apply for reimbursement

Two options are available to sign up for the 2018 Cost Share program. You can either download a copy of the application, print it and mail it into us or complete an online form that is emailed to us immediately.

Cost share qualifying options for your home landscape

Rain Gardens

A rain garden is a shallow depression in the land planted with a diverse variety of native wetland and prairie vegetation. Using native plants with deep root systems in a rain garden helps absorb water and filter pollutants.

Rain gardens can be used to enhance stormwater runoff quality, reduce peak stormwater runoff rates from small sites and improve the quality of runoff coming from rooftops, driveways and lawns of residential neighborhoods, small commercial areas and parks.

Why build a rain garden?
Water that soaks into rain gardens replenishes groundwater and helps prevent flooding. Rain garden plantings don’t require fertilizer or pesticides, and after they are established, they don’t need to be watered. Native plants provide food and shelter for butterflies, song birds and other animals. Rain gardens add an aesthetic appeal to your yard.

How do I build a rain garden?
Rain gardens don’t have to involve a lot of complicated planning. They don't require much space, can be fitted into oddball shapes and can be readily added to existing buildings. Consider these things when planting a rain garden:

Put your rain garden in the right place. Examine your yard’s drainage. Place the rain garden down-slope and at least 10 feet away from building foundations and up-slope from storm drains.

Size the rain garden correctly. Calculate the square footage of the area draining to the rain garden and divide by three. This will give you a rain garden that captures about 30 percent of the water it receives.

Evaluate existing soils. For heavy clay soils, till in compost to loosen the soil and help plants grow. Compacted soils often cause rain gardens to fail, so keep machinery and vehicles off the area.

Increase infiltration. Excavate six to eight inches of soil to create a slight depression that catches water. Mound the excess soil into a berm on the downstream side of the garden.

Native Plants

Not only are native plants the best choice for rain gardens, they are a great choice for your yard in general. Native plants have a deep root system that allows natural filtration of pollutants from stormwater runoff. Not familiar with plantings native to our area? Check out these brochures to help you identify the plantings that would work best for you:

Rain Barrels and Cisterns

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lawn and garden watering account for nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer. Rain barrels and cisterns provide a consistent supply of clean, fresh water for outdoor use, free of charge.

Rain barrels typically provide about 55 gallons of storage capacity and are commonly placed above ground near the source of the rainwater.

A cistern can be an above-ground tank that holds a few hundred gallons of water near the source of the rainwater or a larger underground tank that could hold up to many thousands of gallons of water where the rainwater is piped to the cistern.

Water collected in a rain barrel or cistern would normally pour off your roof directly or flow through roof gutter downspouts and become stormwater runoff. Depending on your yard, this runoff can travel onto paved surfaces and eventually into a storm drain, which drains straight to freshwater bodies like creeks and streams. Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves money and energy by decreasing demand for treated tap water. Diverting water from storm drains also decreases the effects of runoff to streams, preventing pollution and protecting water.

Rain barrels are relatively simple and inexpensive to construct and sit conveniently under residential gutter downspouts. A rain barrel is composed of a 55-gallon drum, a vinyl hose, a spigot, PVC couplings and a screen to keep debris and insects out.

Where to buy

We occasionally host rain barrel building classes through Lenexa Parks & Recreation, but if you don’t want to wait for the next class, supplies are readily available. Hardware stores and garden centers are likely bets to find parts or whole kits for rain barrels. Online sources carry rain barrels as well.

Permeable pavers are designed to allow water to seep between the pavers into a crushed aggregate reservoir underneath. Water stored in the crushed aggregate will then soak into the ground, reducing runoff from your property. Permeable pavers are available at many home supply stores and online retailers. They are a great option for building a patio.